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[striferser]

The most shocking thing about this thread is that apparently there's people who'd prefer to work in Platinum's office (which looks like the kind of office you'd build if you were trying to make a point about how horribly dehumanising office environments are) over Media Molecule's office, which looks like a nice place where creative human beings work and interact.

If you missed it earlier in the thread:





Without a good kitchen people can't prepare the kind of food they'd like to eat. If people aren't able to eat the kind of food they like, they won't be as content in their working environment. Less content workers are less likely to produce their best work.

I like the platinum one. Looks simple and modern. I've been to both type studio, and i prefer the regular one. I like it simple.

The fuck does a kitchen have to do with making games?

Having accomodating office environment will do wonder to your employee motivation

 

[Zojirushi]

Maybe we should stop talking about that kitchen nonsense and instead realize what kinda game we can expect (or more what we cannot expect) with a >100 people studio and limited financing...?

How does that compare to the old Konami team?

 

[Orayn]

The fuck does a kitchen have to do with making games?

Games are made by human beings, who generally need to eat food in order to survive. People tend to be happier if they can eat things they like instead of instant noodles at their desk.

Maybe we should stop talking about that kitchen nonsense and instead realize what kinda game we can expect (or more what we cannot expect) with a >100 people studio and limited financing...?

How does that compare to the old Konami team?

100 people (or less) gets you Uncharted 2, Skyrim, Call of Duty 4, etc.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Maybe we should stop talking about that kitchen nonsense and instead realize what kinda game we can expect (or more what we cannot expect) with a >100 people studio and limited financing...?

How does that compare to the old Konami team?

It's pretty safe to say that you don't have to worry about the budget for this game. It'll be as big as Kojima needs it to be. And let's not get into the whole idea of him going over budget and being late to release game. His studio released an open-world game that was highly polished on five different platforms for a rumored 80m and people make that out like it's something horrible.

As far as what he's working on, he's only said that it's an action game. Probably a shooter since he mentioned Uncharted and The Division.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I like the platinum one. Looks simple and modern. I've been to both type studio, and i prefer the regular one. I like it simple.

Simple I can appreciate, but the Platinum office looks like a production line. Huge, featureless space, identical furniture, straight rows of desks like a classroom. No colour, no texture, no character. As a person in a creative line of work, I don't think I could stand to spend my days somewhere like that.

 

[Skinpop]

The most shocking thing about this thread is that apparently there's people who'd prefer to work in Platinum's office (which looks like the kind of office you'd build if you were trying to make a point about how horribly dehumanising office environments are) over Media Molecule's office, which looks like a nice place where creative human beings work and interact.

As someone who prefers the platinum office in that picture(thought I don't like there being so many people there, don't want to work at a place with more than 50 ppl), here are my thoughts on it:

i don't like warm lighting during daytime or evenings. It's fatiguing to me and is something I exclusively use when I want to get cozy or watch a movie.

As a creative human being(or so I like to think) I perform the best in neutral plain environments with as few distractions as possible. Strong colors, clutter, shiny/reflective stuff or loud interior/furniture designs make it harder for me to focus. My ideal office is basically cool lighting, concrete walls, wooden floor and a window with plain furniture and no decorations. If I need to seek inspiration I'd rather do it in a place that isn't my workplace. Even at home I hate having lots of stuff and am generally not a fan of paintings or posters.

the mm office isn't bad, I could certainly work there and I prefer its size to the platinum one though that's about the only think I like more about it.

 

[PaulloDEC]

As someone who prefers the platinum office in that picture(thought I don't like there being so many people there, don't want to work at a place with more than 50 ppl), here are my thoughts on it:

i don't like warm lighting during daytime or evenings. It's fatiguing to me and is something I exclusively use when I want to get cozy or watch a movie.

As a creative human being(or so I like to think) I perform the best in neutral plain environments with as few distractions as possible. Strong colors, clutter, shiny/reflective stuff or loud interior/furniture designs make it harder for me to focus. My ideal office is basically cool lighting, concrete walls, wooden floor and a window with plain furniture and no decorations. If I need to seek inspiration I'd rather do it in a place that isn't my workplace.

the mm office isn't bad, I could certainly work there and I prefer its size to the platinum one though that's about the only think I like more about it.

See, even what you've described is a world away from that Platinum office photo. Concrete, timber, windows to the outside world; they may be simple things, but they add texture and variety to the environment.

Platinum's office looks like it might just all be made from the same featureless white plastic, and with the amount of people jammed in there it looks like a human battery farm.

 

[Skinpop]

See, even what you've described is a world away from that Platinum office photo. Concrete, timber, windows to the outside world; they may be simple things, but they add texture and variety to the environment.

Platinum's office looks like it might just all be made from the same featureless white plastic, and with the amount of people jammed in there it looks like a human battery farm.

well what I described was my ideal office.. and to be fair it's hard to say anything about materials from that one photo though I wouldn't be surprised if they did indeed use some kind of cheap plastic. still wouldn't bother me much and as for windows you can't tell by that photo. I'm not a fan of the size or abundance of people though.

this kind of stuff is my office-nightmare.

 

[Boke1879]

If you guys read this full quote you'd get what he meant:



Source

This quote puts it all into perspective really

 

[qualitydisc]

Bandai Namco's HQ is supposedly very sleek and modern.

My brain keeps thinking that pipe organ is some sort of miniature model and it's giving me a headache. Is it real? It looks so flat-sided.

 

[BadWolf]

Was to be expected after how Konami treated him and his buddies, good stuff.

 

[NYR94]

The studio is capped at 100 employees because kojima doesn't have enough mother base coins or resources to build that second fob.

 

[z1ggy]

So Kojima will spend a milllon per month to keep the studio alive mmmmm.

 

[Daft Punk]

Solid Snack.

 

[SOR5]

Bandai Namco's HQ is supposedly very sleek and modern.

All it reminds me of is Mokujins Tekken Tag 2 Ending

 

[Steejee]

On the subject of office design, I do like StackOverflow's:
https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2015/01/why-we-still-believe-in-private-offices/

It seems like having to wear headphones or earplugs in order to get work done is a requirement at most modern offices.

 

[LukasF]

The fuck does a kitchen have to do with making games?

You'd be surprised how important impromptu meetings are, as well as literally overhearing other employees talk about something that affects your work. Games have a ton of interconnected moving parts, one tiny little change in a VFX here can nuke 50 SFX instances on a different level without anyone noticing until it's too late. The kitchen chatter scene is just one of many ways to mitigate interdisciplinary disconnect.


Also, I'm actually very excited about his focus on <100 employees + middleware engine. This means 1) more focused, involved devs; 2) faster iteration and course correction; 3) less chance for giant heartbreaking layoffs! My guess is he's planning on distributing lower-priority art assets among outsourcing partners, with only senior-level talent and concept artists inhouse. Guerilla works similarly IIRC.

Spoiler

really kinda hoping they use the Killzone/Horizon engine too

 

[Skinpop]

Also, I'm actually very excited about his focus on <100 employees + middleware engine. This means 1) more focused, involved devs; 2) faster iteration and course correction; 3) less chance for giant heartbreaking layoffs! My guess is he's planning on distributing lower-priority art assets among outsourcing partners, with only senior-level talent and concept artists inhouse. Guerilla works similarly IIRC.

Spoiler

really kinda hoping they use the Killzone/Horizon engine too

yeah same, I like this a lot but I'd prefer a custom inhouse engine.

 

[Piers]

To be fair I like neither, but I don't think the Platinum one is worse than the Media Molecule one. It does have more light, circulation space and a non-cluttered environment, but it is also cold and lifeless.
Also creative interaction with people shouldn't happen at their desk, at least not in open spaces. That's what small meeting rooms are for.

I feel a combination of Platinum cold work stations and MM's warm resting areas would be perfect (if you have to go with open spaces of course...).

From Software is largely the same. I think the 'audio' room is incredibly small and very basic as well. Like a cupboard.
But&#8230;I don't know, it's nice if they make the office seem homely, but really, you should be 100% focused on the work in front of you. If the environment doesn't seem that nice, you can always go for a break in a cafe or somewhere.

 

[tuxfool]

ND was ~100 people when they made U2 [and RAD when they made 1886]. That is more than enough people for non-openworld game development.

Or Bethesda brokenworld games.

 

[Shin-Ra]

They were founded 2006 and made 3 games (LBP 1+2, Tearaway) and Dreams is the fourth,seems like a decent output

Tearaway Unfolded (collaboration with Tarsier) is a pretty extensive reimagining of Tearaway so it's more like 4 games with the 5th well into production.

Kojima is going to use Media Molecule's Dream to create his new game.

Exclusive, early renderings here.

Is there a Japanes studio office that doesn't look depressing?

I always liked the look of Level-5's facilities.

http://www.level5.co.jp/recruit/pdf/l5_pamphlet_2017.pdf
http://www.level5.co.jp/recruit/navigator/

 

[~Cross~]

Without a good kitchen people can't prepare the kind of food they'd like to eat. If people aren't able to eat the kind of food they like, they won't be as content in their working environment. Less content workers are less likely to produce their best work.

Corporate kitchens aren't really places where you actually cook things. There isnt any time for it. You bring things already cooked and then just reheat them. You'll have snacks and drinks on the house, but a full meal is something you either go outside to have or bring in a container.

A "good" kitchen in this case would be one that has enough seating space to accommodate the staff, enough microwaves to not create a bottleneck there and enough coffee pots/machines to keep people highly caffeinated.

 

[etta]

Love how chill they are at MM.

 

[Machinehead]

My favorites teacher once said: life happens in the kitchen.

And it absolutely does. Kojima is a wise man.

 

[Freeman]

He wants to make the kitchen the most important part and hire more woman. Same old Kojima.

 

[Armaly]

How can Kojima compete with the big pink cookie?

 

[NinjamicWZ]

It really says something that someone so vetted and celebrated in the industry for 30 years had to see what comfortable office environments looks like in person, half way around the world.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

lol @ the people windmill tilting when giants roam the land.

It sounds like Konami was a sausage party.

When is the Kickstarter?



Damn lucky it wasn't enough of a sausage party that Michiru Yamane never came to work there in the first place, because damn if she isn't a kickass composer.

Given what #FucKonami said about Castlevania becoming too "feminine" and what happened to Team Silent, it's not a surprise.

 

[EdibleExplosives]

lmao
female people

 

[NinjamicWZ]

Given what #FucKonami said about Castlevania becoming too "feminine" and what happened to Team Silent, it's not a surprise.

Feminine Castlevania is best Castlevania.

 

[Ratrat]

I always liked the look of Level-5's facilities.

http://www.level5.co.jp/recruit/pdf/l5_pamphlet_2017.pdf
http://www.level5.co.jp/recruit/navigator/

Yeah, thats quite nice.

 

[vpance]

Maybe we should stop talking about that kitchen nonsense and instead realize what kinda game we can expect (or more what we cannot expect) with a >100 people studio and limited financing...?

For Kojima, a game that never comes out or a highly polished prologue.

100 people (or less) gets you Uncharted 2, Skyrim, Call of Duty 4, etc.

Meh, in 2019 that will not be so great at all.

 

[Raging Spaniard]

I mean, hes basically saying "so I found out shit is different outside of Japan! They hire women and the employees talk to each other! Amazing!"

Sounds great, but Japanese work culture is pretty rooted in for a lot of Japanese people, so good luck making that work.

 

[galvatron]

The kitchen comment makes a lot of sense because plenty of ad-hoc, cross discipline interactions happen when you're just out getting a snack. These lead to more engagement and cross discipline collaboration and innovation...and people work longer hours since they don't have to deal with going out for lunch as often. It works on a lot of levels...

 

[J.EM1]

100 staff coupled with a super awesome kitchen... game will be out in 4 years or less (hopefully).

 

[Flandy]

:lol can't believe some people here are actually freaking out over the female comment. It's obvious what he meant

 

[ar4757]

Kojima's experiencing what a phenomenon similar to when someone who was locked in a closet for years is let outside for the first time.

Konami say sorry

 

[Graphics Horse]

He should make a game called Big Cooking Mama

 

[ar4757]

.
I always liked the look of Level-5's facilities.

http://www.level5.co.jp/recruit/pdf/l5_pamphlet_2017.pdf
http://www.level5.co.jp/recruit/navigator/

Taking a seat offered by Professor Layton to have a meeting with Jibanyan does sound rather pleasant in that decor.

 

[mckmas8808]

What I'm really hoping Kojima meant is he wants to build a more diverse team after realizing that his old one was homogenous compared to other studios.

.

But that's literally exactly what he said. Why are people making this more complicated?

 

[Clear]

What Kojima is saying tells me he's keenly interested in building a team, not just a project.

In the best teams, people work for each other, not just their bosses and their pay-checks. Social spaces and quality of life features are very important for building a cohesive unit, which of course is the best way to maximize both productivity and creativity.

 

[bomblord1]

I know there are commas but somehow still read that as 100 staff modeling media molecules kitchen is very important

 

[midasmulligan]

We have beer in my kitchen.
The coffee is always free.

The kitchen is the most important aspect, no kitchen -> no development studio.

No development studio -> no game

Think about it

You really can't deny that math &#128070;&#127996;

 

[televator]

You gotta love the lens that Japanese folks interpret western norms with. The kitchen is probably just something nobody really gave a second thought to. It's just there out of necessity rather than deep analytical strategizing. lol

Good to hear that he's noted the strong female presence and the important role they play. Coupled with the less "macho" work structure. Hopefully this will tone down the misogynistic overtones in character designs and gameplay in his games going forward.

 

[A-V-B]

Quick, Kojima! Redesign your logo into a cyberpunk spatula!

 

[JABEE]

Jeez, guys. He's referring to his past experience at Konami (and maybe Japan in general) where female developers are probably, and sadly, a minority.

If you read on you can clearly see he wants diversity at his new studio, and if you had actually met him like I did during his latest tour you would know it too.

Seriously, stop sensationalizing everything.

It also weird to get on him for his strange phrasing when English is not his first language.

 

[Shauni]

What's uh about that? Shouldn't be too obvious he's talking about it being strange to see so many female developers compared to what he's used to working with in Japan.

It's pretty obvious that's what he's saying, but people are just super sensitive that they take a lot of stuff the wrong way nowadays.

 

[Salty Rice]

Looking at Kojima food tweets i guess the kitchen is important.

 

[Melchiah]

Or Bethesda brokenworld games.

Haha! I like that.

 

[IronicSonic]

I just imagine Kojima going around fultoning people and locking them in the brig until they agree to be part of the studio.

Thanks